Restore Me, Restore Life
by HouseHaddock
Summary: After an abrupt break up with Kurt Hummel, Blaine Anderson went off in search of his own dream and found Asher Hayes. But Asher was anything but a dream. In fact… he was Blaine's worst nightmare. Extreme angst. Trigger warnings inside.


**TRIGGER WARNINGS:**** Descriptions and mentions of physical abuse, domestic abuse, sexual abuse (non-con), mental and emotional abuse. Thoughts of suicide, as well as mentions of attempted suicide. Basically, this is just going to be an emotional rollercoaster ride, and I will honestly understand if you open this and then choose not to read it.**

**I've been trying to stay away from angst, but this popped into my head and I just had to get it out. If it's triggering for you, please don't read.**

**Also, I realize that there is an abundance of back-story in the beginning of this. It's all very hard to read, it was hard to write, but it's important towards the story. Once you get through it, I promise, there will be a happy ending. Maybe semi-happy, but happy nonetheless.**

**ONE MORE THING, I don't proofread. It's a long, tedius task that I don't enjoy doing, so please ignore anymore mistakes. I'll go back through and read it at some point and fix the changes then though, but for now, just… remember that, okay? Anyways, onto the story!**

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

* * *

><p>It was the fear of the next hit that hurt the worse. Blaine had thought high school was bad, the bullying then so menial compared to now. But back then, it was more than one person terrorizing him. Now… it was simply one monster.<p>

Blaine Anderson once believed that when he'd leave Ohio, everything would change. Everything would get better. He would be free to live truly and express himself through the art he loved so dearly. But he was wrong.

So very wrong.

But still, getting out of Ohio was so much easier than Blaine had intended, and after almost a year of being completely alone, it was so worth it. What a year that had been.

Blaine's senior year had been spent in solemn silence. Every hall he walked through, every room, _his _locker… It was all a continual stab to the heart. Blaine had once believed he and Kurt Hummel would spend the rest of their lives together. But he was wrong.

So very wrong.

Kurt graduated and they were still together. But he went to New York, and slowly, calls and texts stopped getting returned, skype calls disappeared, and then Kurt was ending it through a voicemail. A teary voicemail that had caused Blaine to chuck his phone at the wall, the pieces falling to the floor, broken and shattered, similar to his heart.

His few friends tried to cheer him up. His parents told him to get over it. His teachers suggested seeking help because it was very obvious that Blaine was falling apart. But he ignored everything and graduated top of his class.

He didn't go to New York though. That was his and Kurt's dream. He couldn't chance the possibility of running into his first love. No, he just couldn't. So Blaine went in the opposite direction, heading off to Stanford in California to study Music. His father hated that, wanted him to go into Pre-Law, but Blaine was tired of him, tired of doing what others expected of him. Music was his passion, and Music was what he planned on doing with his life.

That is, until he met Asher Hayes.

* * *

><p>Blaine met Asher during his sophomore year of college. Asher was a senior. They met at a frat party. Blaine had never planned on joining a fraternity, but after hearing how beneficial they could be, he decided to check a few out.<p>

Most of them didn't appeal to him. It was just a lot of loud, rowdy boys who drank far too much beer and did far too many drugs, just because they could, and Blaine didn't want to be apart of that. But then he heard about a more refined fraternity, where hazing was nonexistent and your future was sealed in gold basically. They sounded powerful and intelligent, and Blaine had decided to check them out.

So there Blaine was, standing off to the side, a strange drink in his hand (no fraternity had a mixer without alcohol, regardless of their social standing), staring as a good looking older male approached him with a devious glint in his eyes. Blaine should've seen right through that look, but at the time, he had just seen sparkling gray eyes and great hair.

"What's your name?" he had asked, leaning in close to Blaine. Blaine blushed at how strong and smooth his voice was, plus there was the attractiveness factor.

"Blaine," he had responded, his voice soft. The other grinned.

"Asher." And that's where it had begun.

* * *

><p>Dating Asher made Blaine feel amazing… in the beginning. Only a few months after their relationship began, Blaine moved into Asher's off-campus apartment. Asher planned on staying in Palo Alto for graduate classes after graduation, so it would work out in both of their favors. Asher planned to take care of Blaine throughout the rest of his college career.<p>

Dating Asher made Blaine feel beautiful… in the beginning. Their first time together, after Asher's graduation party, they went slow, Asher wanting to make Blaine feel as good as he possibly could.

Blaine didn't bother telling him that he wasn't a virgin.

They were good together. Everyone saw them as the model couple, something to look up to. Blaine was in love, Kurt Hummel all but forgotten, just like he had wanted.

But love is blind. Blaine so often wished he'd never seen the truth.

* * *

><p>The first hit came after Blaine's graduation. Blaine couldn't even remember what had happened to cause the vein in Asher's forehead pop out- that being the last thing he remembered before a firm hand came in contact with his face.<p>

The swelling hurt, especially when Blaine pressed the ice pack to it as he listened to Asher explain to people over the phone that Blaine wasn't feeling up to a party at the present moment. Blaine wanted to cry, but he didn't. Sometimes that happened, right? Blaine had obviously been out of line, and it wouldn't happen again, right? Blaine would just watch what he said next time.

The next hit happened a few months later. Blaine was getting ready to start his graduate program, also at Stanford, and he was going to meet up with the study group he had formed with someone of his classmates. They wanted to get to know each other beforehand. But for some reason, Asher had gotten increasingly possessive lately. Almost three years together, Blaine thought that was just normal.

Blaine went to leave the apartment and he was yanked back away from the door, his eyes wide as he stared up at Asher (who was uncomfortably taller than Blaine, like, almost Finn-taller). Asher had that glint in his eyes and before Blaine could react, a hand connected with his cheek again, this time much harder than the first time.

He crumpled to the floor, tears streaming down his face, more from the pain than anything. Asher knelt down beside him and rubbed his cheek gently. Blaine hissed from the contact, recoiling away from the touch. Asher stared at him with a steely, unreadable expression.

"You're not leaving this apartment," he stated, before standing up and walking off into the living room. He sat down and turned on the TV, acting like nothing had happened. Blaine just sat on the floor, crying softly, wondering what to do. There wasn't anything he _could_ do.

After a few minutes, Blaine finally got up and went into the kitchen, getting an icepack for his cheek, before venturing off into the bedroom. He laid down and closed his eyes, imagining blue eyes and impossibly soft hands that would never hurt him.

* * *

><p>Once things started to get out of hand, somewhere between his first and second years in graduate school, Blaine tried to fight back. He got fed up with being shoved around and he yelled at Asher, shoved him, but Asher was bigger and stronger.<p>

It didn't end well.

"_No hospitals, Blaine. They'll ask questions. You're fine."_

A black eye, a swollen jaw, a smattering of dark, throbbing bruises all over his back, and a possibly fractured rib is what Blaine got out of trying to defend himself. He had begged Asher to take him to the hospital, needing something to get rid of the pain, but Asher refused. He'd laid Blaine on their bed and placed a few icepacks over the spot that hurt the most.

Blaine was pretty positive it never fully healed.

But after that, Blaine didn't try to fight back again. What was the point? He was trapped. He didn't really have any of his own friends, they were all Asher's friends. He also didn't have any family close by, so asking for help from them was out. Blaine was too afraid to say anything to anyone anyways.

He did however try to find other ways out. Blaine was far too squeamish to try anything bloody and messy. No, he wanted to keep it simple, something relatively fast.

So he took an entire bottle of Tylenol.

Blaine woke up a few days later in the hospital, under heavy surveillance. The Tylenol had caused a mess of internal bleeding. The doctors told him he was lucky his boyfriend found him when he did.

Blaine wanted to scream. Say _something!_ But he couldn't. And now he was being watched, and put on so many anti-depressants, because Asher had to tell them something. _"Blaine has been… off lately. I think it might be the stress, but… I didn't know he would go so far as to… god, I can't even say it…"_

Once he was able to go home, Asher put locks on the medicine cabinets, as well as on any door that held something possibly dangerous within. Alcohol, knives. Anything Blaine could potentially hurt himself with. But it wasn't for Blaine's benefit.

Asher couldn't hurt something that was dead.

* * *

><p>It was about the end of his second year of grad school when… well when<em> it<em> happened. Blaine was sitting at home, doing some homework, when Asher bursts into the apartment, earlier than usual. Blaine was about to ask him what he was doing home so early, when Asher grabbed him, dragged him into the bedroom, and…

Could it be constituted as rape? Blaine wasn't sure. He was with Asher, Asher was his boyfriend, had been for so long, but… Blaine hadn't wanted that. He had even said no at one point, or at least he thought he did, but Asher hadn't stopped.

And that was what finally broke Blaine.

Afterwards, Blaine became basically a shell of his old self. He let Asher do whatever he wanted… Blaine was numb to any and all pain. So when Asher hit him, he didn't cry out or anything. When Asher fucked him, Blaine simply took it, eyes dead, maybe a faint whimper escaping.

He had just given up.

So when Asher told him they were moving to New York because Asher was offered a better job, Blaine just accepted it, not really thinking about what New York meant. Blaine could barely remember to take a breath, so how could he possibly remember Kurt Hummel?

* * *

><p>The apartment they moved into was gorgeous, there was no doubt about it. Asher's job paid extremely well, which was good, because Blaine had been deemed unsuitable for a work environment. He'd been doing terribly in his classes and had to drop out of grad school because he retained absolutely nothing.<p>

So Blaine, for all intents and purposes, because a house boyfriend. Soon to be house _husband_, considering that during their first night in New York, Asher proposed and… how could Blaine say no?

It felt like pain stopped for a while. The first couple of weeks in New York was really them settling into their new life. Asher was sweet and doting, kissing Blaine softly and touching him gently, though Blaine didn't really notice it. He might have attempted a smile at one point, but it probably came across as a grimace of some sort.

But once everything had started to feel good, and Blaine felt like maybe he could breathe again, it all came at him with more force. There were some days when Blaine couldn't even move. Everything hurt.

He had tried to kill himself again, this time not caring how he did it. But once again, Asher locked away anything he could use. They didn't even have a bathtub he could drown himself in. He couldn't help but let out a scream of agony, a sound so loud that no one would hear, because their apartment was soundproof.

Blaine had just decided to suffocate himself when Asher walked through the door. He was in a good mood for once, so Blaine just pretended the thoughts never happened.

It was such a good thing that Asher couldn't hear his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Blaine had forced himself to get up that morning. He needed to pick up groceries. He meticulously hid every bruise. He could easily just let them be seen, but… what would be the point? No one would actually help him and then Asher would be mad. And that just meant more bruises to hide.<p>

He left the apartment and made his way to the closet Whole Foods. He picked up all the things he needed, avoiding the eyes of the other shoppers. If someone really looked at him, they'd see the truth, and he couldn't let that happen.

He was walking out the door, rearranging the bags on his arms, eyes down, when someone slammed into him, causing him to gasp in pain. The other person had hit a… fresher bruise… and Blaine felt like he couldn't breathe for a moment.

"I am so sorry!" the other person said and Blaine recognized that voice. He looked up, his eyes wide, to see Kurt Hummel standing before him. Kurt's eyes widened.

"B-Blaine?" he stuttered. Blaine didn't respond. He needed to go. He needed to leave. "I didn't know you were in New York! It's been so long, how are you?" Kurt asked, a smile spreading across his face. Still so beautiful.

Blaine looked back down. "Fine… I need to go." He went to move past Kurt, but Kurt mirrored his movement.

"Wait! I know things ended… badly, but… I would really like to catch up sometime," he said, reaching out to touch Blaine's arm. Blaine winced. He wanted to cry.

"I can't… I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking. He pushed past Kurt and rushed off down the street. By the time he got back to his apartment, he could barely breathe. He dumped the bags on the counter in the kitchen and doubled over the sink, throwing up into it.

Of course he would run into Kurt at some point. But it'd been so long since he truly thought about Kurt, he must've just left his mind.

Now though… now all he could think about was how beautiful Kurt still was after all these years. His eyes bright and blue, his smile flawless, his body… He just got hotter and hotter!

And Blaine was trapped in an eternal Hell. A Hell that he would not drag Kurt into. Asher had never gone after anyone else before, at least not that Blaine knew of, but Asher knew about Kurt. Blaine had told Asher a lot about his relationship with Kurt. He didn't trust Asher to not go after Kurt.

"It's what's best. Someone as perfect as Kurt would never want someone as broken as me anyways…" Blaine whispered. He let a few tears fall, but once he saw the time, he wiped them away quickly and began putting groceries away.

Asher hated coming home to a dirty apartment and dinner not done.

* * *

><p>Kurt walked into the apartment he shared with Rachel. He didn't have any groceries, which was what he had set out to get, but seeing Blaine for the first time in years had him a little shell-shocked.<p>

He walked into the kitchen and sat down at the table. Rachel looked up from where she was making some vegan stir-fry. Since stir-fry was primarily vegetables anyways, Kurt wasn't too worried about it being awful. Plus, after living with her for so long, he was used to her cooking.

Rachel turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "I send you out to get groceries and you come back empty-handed?" she asked, before clucking her tongue disapprovingly and turning back to the stove.

Kurt rubbed his hands over his face. "I saw Blaine."

The sound of a spatula clattering to the floor caused Kurt to look up. Rachel hurried to pick up the utensil and quickly cleaned it off. She was smiling. "Blaine? Blaine _Anderson_?" she asked.

"Do we know any other Blaines?" Kurt asked incredulously.

Rachel squealed, turning off the stove, dropping the spatula onto the counter and running over to Kurt. "Oh my god, how did he look? I bet he's still gorgeous! Kurt, is he single? If he is then it must be a sign, Kurt! I mean, I know you say you don't need a man, but honey, it's been so long and you and Blaine were perfect together! When are you going to see him again?"

Kurt stared at Rachel with wide eyes, his jaw dropped. "How do you breathe when you talk that fast?" he asked.

"Practice. Spill!"

Kurt sighed. "Rachel, I doubt he will willingly see me," he responded. Rachel pouted.

"But… is this because of how you guys ended?" she asked.

Kurt shrugged. "I'm not sure… Rach, he wouldn't even look me in the eye. He barely looked at my face! And honestly, he looked terrible… he was skinny and his hair was a mess and his eyes, when I saw them… they looked dead. It scared me. He wouldn't talk to me."

Rachel bit his lip. "Well… maybe he's just depressed! And who else to bring him out of his funk than Kurt Hummel?" she asked. Kurt closed his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"He had a ring, Rachel. He had a ring, so either he's engaged, or he's already married. That's probably why he didn't want to see me."

Rachel pursed her lips. "But if he's engaged or married, why didn't he seem happy? I mean, the Blaine we know, he would've been smiling and bouncing and so eager to gush about his partner. I mean, he can't possibly still hold anything against you, it's been like seven years."

Kurt looked down. "I don't know, Rachel. But I'm a little worried. I've never seen him like that." He placed his elbow on the table and pressed his cheek against his fist, looking up at Rachel. "Is it weird to be so worried? I mean… I never forgot about Blaine, but I moved on… but now I can't get how broken he looked out of my head…"

Rachel smiled and rubbed Kurt's arm. "Honey, there is nothing wrong with worrying about an old friend, who happened to be your first true love. I worry about Finn all the time."

Kurt smirked. "Uh huh. I remember that it was _Quinn_ you were screaming the other night, not Finn."

Rachel blushed deeply. She and Quinn had reconnected a few months prior, and something had changed. Only a few people knew, but Kurt had seen it coming. Santana liked to tease them when she came around. "Touché." Rachel got up and walked back over to the stove, turning the stove back on, and going back to cooking.

Kurt sat up. "I'm going to help him. I don't know how or why, but I'm going to. He saved me when I was lost and broken… what kind of person would I be if I didn't do the same for him?"

* * *

><p>Asher was being nicer than usual. It set Blaine's nerves on edge. When Asher was in a good mood, he was generally very sweet to Blaine, acting like nothing bad ever happened between them, and Blaine hated that. Hated that Asher could just pretend that he never beat Blaine within an inch of life, never allowed him the solace of death that Blaine so desperately wanted these days.<p>

Asher's acting abilities were impeccable, but only Blaine knew this.

Blaine was able to block him out a little easier though. Normally he thought about music, how much he used to love performing. How much he'd love to still perform, but knew it would never happen. Now though, now all he could see were beautiful blues eyes and lips that once fit so perfectly to his.

Blaine couldn't help but wonder if they still would.

"Blaine?" Asher's voice broke through his thoughts, causing him to jump. Asher chuckled. "You need to be a bit more receptive, darling," he said, leaning in to kiss Blaine's cheek. Blaine couldn't help but cower away, a whimper escaping. Asher growled low in his stomach.

Lips trembling, Blaine stood quickly and gathered the dishes, taking them into the kitchen and placing them in the sink. He began rinsing them off, trying to busy himself. Asher came up behind him and rubbed his sides. Blaine gasped softly, and Asher seemed to take that as an invitation, burying his face in Blaine's neck.

"Forget the dishes. Let's go to bed…" he whispered huskily into Blaine's ear. Blaine bit back a sob.

"Please… not tonight…" he pleaded. Asher placed his finger over Blaine's lips.

"Hush. Or I will bring out the gag. Come on." Blaine reluctantly allowed Asher to tug him off towards the bedroom, not letting the tears fall. He was far too weak to fight back at this point. All he could do was let him happen, and pray it would end quickly.

* * *

><p>Blaine needed to get out of the apartment. Just for a few hours. Asher was working late and Blaine had plenty of time to just escape for a while.<p>

He took better care before leaving this time, once again covering up fully, but also dressing nicely and gelling his hair. He even put on some foundation, just to cover the deep bags under his eyes. When he looked in the mirror, he looked more like himself. Well, the way he used to be.

It had been a while since he'd seen Kurt. Honestly, it could've been a day, but Blaine's sense of time was so off, he wouldn't be able to know. The eyes had faded to the back of his mind, the image in his head so easily disappearing. Blaine didn't want to see Kurt again. He didn't want the image back. It made things more difficult for him. So he went the opposite way of the Whole Foods store, wandering off in search of someplace where he could go and feel normal again.

The smell of coffee reached his nose and Blaine followed it, coming upon a small coffee shop that was close to home. There weren't that many customers inside, which just added to its allure. It was exactly what Blaine wanted.

He walked in, breathing in the smell of fresh coffee and approached the counter. He ordered a medium drip, and handed over the money to pay. Once he got his drink, he walked over to a seat in the corner, right out of sight of the window. Blaine sank into a seat a sipped the beverage, sighing as the hot liquid slid down his throat. It was nice to have a coffee he didn't have to make. It made him feel normal.

There was a newspaper left on the table beside his. Blaine reached over and picked it up, beginning to look through it, just wanting to take his mind off of everything for a while. He skipped any bad news, not wanting to read about those things, but when he came to the obituaries, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy for the people listed. _That's sick, Blaine. You're sick_.

Blaine closed the paper and set it aside, taking another long sip of his coffee. The door to the shop opened, the bell dinging, but Blaine paid no mind to it, continuing to stare down at the cup in his hands. Tears were springing to his eyes, but he didn't want to let them out here. He didn't want to be that weird person that cried in public, but Blaine wanted to cry. He couldn't cry at home and he couldn't cry here. Where was he supposed to cry?

"Blaine?"

Blaine jumped, just like he had the other night when Asher had pulled him out of his reverie. He looked up and saw Kurt standing there. This was not happening. He didn't want to see Kurt. He didn't want Kurt to see _him_.

"How did you find me?" Blaine blurted out, blushing as he realized how accusing the question was. Kurt raised a brow.

"This coffee shop is in between my apartment and work," he responded, looking down at the coffee cup in his hands. He must've gotten it before he spotted Blaine.

A grande nonfat mocha, no doubt.

"Can I sit?" Kurt asked, motioning to the chair across from Blaine. Blaine stared up at him, eyes wide. This was bad. So very bad. What if someone he knew saw him? What if someone Asher knew saw him and then told Asher?

Or maybe, this was what Blaine needed. He and Kurt had been friends before they had been boyfriends, right? They could be friends again. Blaine needed a friend.

Plus, friends didn't always know everything about other friends.

"Sure…" Blaine whispered. A ghost of a smile crossed Kurt's features and he sat down. They stared at each other for a few minutes, occasionally shifting their gazes to their coffee or to some random part of the shop.

Kurt cleared his throat. "It's really good to see you, Blaine. I've… I've missed you. How have you been? I heard you went to Stanford for college?"

Blaine bit his lip and nodded. "I did. I wanted to get as far away as I possibly could… from Ohio," he responded hesitantly, ignoring Kurt's first question. Kurt's eyes shifted down.

"You're different… Quiet."

Blaine looked away. "People change."

Things got even more awkward incredibly fast. Blaine kept his eyes down. This was a bad idea. They had barely said anything, but the tension was there. So very there. Blaine wished he could pluck up the courage to scream the truth. To stop lying and let someone in the world know that he was living in Hell!

"Are you married?" Kurt asked. Blaine looked up to see his gaze on Blaine's ring.

"Engaged."

"Who's the lucky guy?"

Blaine almost snorted. "Asher Hayes."

Kurt raised a brow. "Really? That's crazy. I have an appointment with him later to get interviewed about my upcoming line for the Post."

Blaine's head shot up. Kurt's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. He was completely unaware of the fact that inside, Blaine was having a panic attack. He stood quickly, almost knocking over his coffee in his haste. Kurt's eyes went wide.

"Blaine, what's-"

"Please don't tell him you saw me!" Blaine pleaded brokenly, before rushing out of the shop, throwing his coffee away on the way out. Kurt jumped up and ran after him.

"Blaine!" he called, catching up to the other man and gripping his wrist. All that Blaine could register was the pain in his wrist (Asher had gotten into tying Blaine to the bed, lately… very tightly tying him). He yelped loudly, snatching his hand away and cradling it to his chest. Kurt stared at him in concern. "Blaine-"

Blaine took off running before Kurt could say anymore, tears cascading down his face. When he got home, he locked himself in the bathroom and threw up any bit of coffee he had managed to swallow.

* * *

><p>Kurt was on edge for the rest of the day. He couldn't concentrate on anything, except for how terrified Blaine had looked before he ran off. Kurt had wanted to run after him, but honestly, what would he say? What <em>could<em> he say?

He tried to cheer himself up before his meeting, because regardless, this was big. His first big article in the New York Post! It wasn't the Times or the New Yorker, but it was still pretty big! And for his very first line. This was going to really get his career off the ground.

And maybe if he was really impressive, Kurt could get some information from Asher Hayes about his fiancé.

Kurt knew about Asher. He knew his credentials. Went to Stanford, was a Communications Major with a Concentration in Journalism. His work was renowned in California and was quickly catching fire in New York. He was handsome and charming and invested in his work. Kurt was lucky to get this opportunity, career-wise.

But the moment he was sitting in Asher's office, he couldn't help but think about how lucky he was to have this opportunity, _Blaine-wise_.

Asher was absent from the room when Kurt was brought to it, but that was what he wanted. He looked around; making sure no one was coming, before moving around behind the desk. Kurt wasn't a snooper, but he needed to know more.

There was a picture of Blaine on Asher's desk, definitely an older picture. His smile was big and his eyes were still bright and alive. This was the Blaine that Kurt had left behind… not the Blaine he saw just hours before.

But beside the picture was what Kurt really wanted: Asher's phone. Kurt grabbed it and turned on the screen, sliding the lock and almost screaming with joy when he saw it wasn't password-protected. He quickly opened Asher's contacts and went to the B's, finding Blaine's name and copying down his number on a sticky note.

Kurt had shoved the number into his pocket and exited the contacts when he heard voices down the hall. He quickly turned off the screen and set it back exactly as he found it, before moving around the desk and taking his seat. Asher walked in a second later, coffee in hand and a charming grin on his face.

"Kurt Hummel?" he asked, a hint of amusement in his tone. Kurt nodded.

"That would be me," he said, his voice a little higher than he would have liked. Asher grinned and introduced himself, shaking Kurt's hand before he walked around his desk and sat down, setting his things down. He seemed to freeze for a moment, and Kurt was afraid he'd seen something out of the ordinary. But then Asher grinned again, opened a drawer, and pulled out a recorder. He turned it on and set it on the desk between them.

"Okay, so, Kurt. Thank you for coming to my office today. Normally I do interviews in more public settings, it makes conversation better, but I've been pretty busy lately. I hope you understand," Asher started. Kurt nodded.

"I do," he said.

"Now, I've taken a look at some of your designs, and I must say, you have impeccable taste. No doubt your clothes will be what everyone's wearing in the near future."

"Let's hope so."

The questions went on from there, the menial chatter completely harmless as they discussed Kurt's career and where he planned to go from here. Still though, it was difficult to sit there and know that in front of him was the man who Blaine had been with since he and Kurt broke up. Kurt almost wanted to bring it up, but Asher beat him to the punch.

"Kurt, it's no secret that you are an out and proud gay man, correct?" Asher asked. Kurt laughed softly.

"Yes, yes, that's correct," he responded. Asher grinned.

"So is there anyone special in your life?"

Kurt looked down and blushed. "No, at the moment, there is not."

"Hmm… an attractive guy like you… seems like you'd be beating men off with a stick," Asher said, looking at Kurt inquisitively. Kurt bit the corner of his lip.

"Well, relationships… right now, it's… it's complicated," he whispered. Asher's eyebrow went up.

"Really now? Maybe it's because you're trying to steal another man's fiancé." The tape recorder was shut off and Asher leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowed at Kurt. Kurt raised a brow.

"Excuse me?"

Asher smirked. "Did you really think this interview was all a coincidence? Oh no. I heard your name and I jumped on this opportunity."

Kurt narrowed his eyes. "And why would you do that?" he asked.

Asher reached forward and stroked the picture of Blaine. It would've seemed like a fond moment, if there wasn't such an evil look in his eye. "I know about you, Kurt. I know a lot about you. I know about how you broke my fiancé's heart back when…" he whispered. "Blaine was not an easy fix. The first time I truly fucked him, he whimpered your name." Kurt visibly winced, which only made Asher smirk more. "Have you been in contact with my Blaine?"

Anger flared up in Kurt. Blaine was _not_ his. But Kurt couldn't say that. Kurt could sense the danger. He didn't understand it, but everything was falling together, like puzzle pieces, and Blaine's fear made sense. So, he lied. "No."

"You're lying."

"I'm not."

A low growl ripped out of Asher's throat. Kurt suddenly felt terrified. He cowered in his seat slightly. "You're lying. And if you try to contact Blaine again, you'll regret it, Hummel. I can promise you that."

"Are you really threatening me?" The question came out in a whisper, his voice so soft, he wondered if Asher even heard him. From the look on his face, he had.

"You lost Blaine. You lost him a long time ago. He's mine."

Kurt didn't know for sure what had happened between Blaine and Asher. He didn't know for sure what Asher had done to Blaine. But he did know that Asher was hurting him. He knew that Asher was changing Blaine and not for the better. "Blaine deserves better than you," Kurt snapped, finding his voice. Asher leaned back again.

"And that's how I know you're lying."

Kurt didn't say anymore in response. He slid his messenger bag strap onto his shoulder and walked out of the room, article be damned. Once he was outside and out of sight of the building, Kurt pulled out the sticky note and his phone, quickly inputting Blaine's number into the his address book.

He opened a new text to Blaine, going to type something, before freezing. What could he say? Kurt went over a couple different texts, before finally typing out one word and sending it, hoping Blaine would understand the message.

* * *

><p>Blaine had been passed out on the couch when the door slammed shut, causing him to jolt awake. Before he could even register what was happening, he was yanked off the couch (an easy feat, considering Blaine was so thin these days). He cried out when he hit the ground.<p>

Asher flipped him around onto his back and straddled his lap, gripping Blaine's hair tightly and tugging it back. Blaine whimpered, tears coming to his eyes from the strain. "Have you been seeing your ex behind my back?" Asher growled. Blaine shook his head, not trusting his voice. "Answer me!"

"No!"

Asher released Blaine's hair and slapped him hard across the face, before getting up and walking into the bedroom. Blaine's entire body shook with fear. But lately, he'd also come to the resignation that if he died, it would be okay. Blaine wanted to die. He was sick of being scared. He was sick of being abused.

But he wasn't brave enough to do anything about it.

Asher came out of the bedroom with a tie in his hand. He pulled Blaine up by his hair and pushed him so he was bent over the couch. Asher yanked his shirt up over his head, exposing his back, before tying Blaine's hands tightly behind his back. Blaine winced, his fingers already beginning to go numb.

Blaine heard the sound of Asher taking off his belt. He whimpered loudly, burying his head in the cushions of the couch, hoping it would muffle the sounds, but once the leather came in contact with his skin, there was no hiding the sound of his screams. They were the loudest when the belt buckle clipped his skin though, cutting into his flesh. Blaine could feel blood trickling down his back.

He generally tried not to cry out, tried not to make any noise, but there was no stopping this. Asher had never done something like this before. And this was pain Blaine couldn't remember ever feeling.

Once it ceased, Blaine's back was raw and bloody and he just wanted to scream. Asher untied his hands and pulled his shirt back down, before shoving him back onto the floor. The pressure caused Blaine to cry out loudly, his body locking up from the pain. Asher glared at him.

"If I find out you've been hanging around with Kurt Hummel behind my back, you'll get much worse than this." Asher walked over to the door and grabbed his keys. "You better clean up any blood you get on the floor," was the last thing he said before he left the apartment, slamming and locking the door behind him.

Blaine laid on the floor, trying to catch his breath and calm down his rapidly beating heart. He didn't want to move, he was so scared that Asher would come back.

His phone dinged. He bit his lip and forced himself to sit up, each movement he made causing the pain to flare back up. Blaine used the couch to help himself stand up, though he was shaky on his feet. He dug around in the cushions, hoping his phone had just fallen into the couch while he was sleeping, and pulled it out. It was re-notifying him about a text from an unknown number.

Blaine frowned, but opened the text, his eyes widening as he saw the single word.

_COURAGE._

He collapsed, his knees giving out, and he cried harder than he'd cried in so long, something he didn't think possible. There was only one person that text could've come from, and it made Blaine feel sick.

Why couldn't he just ask for help? Why couldn't he click call and tell the one person in the world he had always trusted that he was in trouble and needed help?

Blaine didn't have courage anymore. Maybe he never really had.

He clicked out a brief text and sent it. _Leave me alone_. It was stupid. Very stupid. If Kurt left him alone, Blaine would have no allies. He would be completely alone in this world… but it was better that way. Blaine didn't want to drag Kurt in this. Kurt deserved the world and Blaine deserved to die.

He had come to terms with that a long time ago.

* * *

><p>It had been a few days since the beating and Blaine's back was still pretty raw, mainly because Asher had decided it would be fun to fuck Blaine and claw at his back. Blaine had bit his lip so hard that night, his teeth broke through the skin.<p>

But ever since he sent that text, Blaine hasn't heard from Kurt. He finds it to be a blessing in disguise. He doesn't want Kurt to see him, see what he's become, and then have to deal with the pain of his inevitable death.

Blaine could feel it coming. He didn't know how he could tell.. he just could. He didn't know when it was going to come, but it was definitely coming. Blaine was ready for it.

He wondered what his parents would think. They probably wouldn't care. Blaine hadn't talked to them since he started college. Cooper would probably be really hurt, but then again, Blaine had been ignoring his phone calls for almost a year now. Cooper would know something's wrong if they talked. Blaine couldn't have that. He didn't want anyone close, because then they would mourn him longer, instead of just moving on with their lives.

It was things like that that Blaine thought of when he did menial tasks around the apartment, trying not to collapse in on himself, even though that's all he wanted to do. Succumb to the pain, just let it happen. But something kept him going everyday. Blaine chalked it up as his body's natural will to live.

A knock at the door caused him to jump. Blaine furrowed his brows and went to the door as fast as he could (which was not fast at all) and opened the door to see Kurt standing there. Blaine's eyes widened. "H-How did you find out where I live?" he gasped out. Kurt stepped into the apartment before Blaine could shut the door on him.

"Blaine, I had to find you, so I may have done a little bit of stalking, but regardless! I'm so worried about you. I know you told me to leave you alone, but I can't do that and I won't," he responded. Blaine shook his head.

"You need to leave. Asher will be home soon."

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what he's done to you!"

Blaine stared at Kurt, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "You need to leave."

"No."

"Go!"

"No!"

Blaine shook for a moment, before shutting the door. He didn't want the neighbors to hear this. Then he turned to Kurt. "You need to go before Asher gets back… I don't… I don't want you to get hurt," he whispered, looking down.

"Blaine, I'm not concerned about Asher hurting me. I'm concerned about him hurting you. What has he done to you, Blaine? You aren't the same person you were in high school!"

"People change!"

"Blaine, don't give me that bullshit! The way you've been acting and the way Asher talked about you-"

"Did you tell him you saw me?" Blaine almost yelled, cutting Kurt off. Kurt froze and shook his head.

"No, not of course not…"

Blaine turned his back on Kurt, blinking back the tears in his eyes. How had he known then? No amount of lying could've tricked him, because he had known.

"Blaine? Blaine, what-" Kurt had reached out to touch Blaine's back in a comforting way, but even just the slightest touch had him gasping in pain and jumping away from Kurt in fear. Kurt's eyes widened. "Blaine!"

"I'm fine," Blaine choked out, wiping away the tears rapidly falling from his eyes. Kurt glared at him, before tugging up the back of Blaine's shirt and gasping loudly. Blaine's back was covered in red gashes and scratches, some of which were still bleeding. Kurt teared up as Blaine moved away from him, tugging his shirt back down with a wince.

"B…. what is he doing to you?" Kurt asked brokenly. Blaine looked down.

"Kurt, I'm fine-"

"No! You're fucking not! You're hurt! He's hurting you! How did he do this? What else has he done to you?" Kurt yelled. Blaine flinched. He needed to get Kurt to leave. Asher would be home and he wouldn't hesitate to hurt Kurt. Blaine couldn't allow Kurt to get hurt. So… he would need to lie.

"Kurt, leave!" Blaine snapped, his voice not coming out as strong as he'd liked. Kurt gave him a steely, yet still very tearful look.

"Blaine, you need help!"

"No, I don't! What I need is for you to get the hell out of here! Now!"

Kurt bit his lip. "Blaine, why are you talking like this? I just want to help…"

"I don't want you to help me, Kurt! Why do you keep trying to insert yourself into my life? You erased me from yours when you broke up with me! All I ever did was love you with all my damn heart and you just stomped all over it!" Blaine was finally allowing himself to be angry. All the pent up hurt and anger from over the past years was finally coming to the surface. Blaine knew it was the only way he'd be able to get Kurt to leave.

Kurt started crying harder, and Blaine's stomach twisted uncomfortably. "Blaine, breaking up with you was the worst decision I ever made! I wanted you so bad and you were in Ohio, and I know that's not your fault, but it hurt _all the damn time_! And one night I was emotional and I got drunk, so I called you. You didn't pick up and I got mad, so I broke up with you over your voicemail. Afterwards, I was too ashamed to call you or text you or anything… I'm so sorry, B…"

Blaine stared at Kurt, unbelieving of what he was hearing. Kurt hadn't wanted to break up with him. Kurt had always wanted to be with him. The tears started running down Blaine's face again, because now all he could think about was what could've been…

Before he knew it, Kurt was rushing forward to him, running his thumbs over Blaine's cheeks gently, wiping the tears away. And then Kurt was kissing him. It took Blaine a moment to register what was happening and then he whimpered against Kurt's lips, before kissing him back. He had missed the soft pressure that he'd always associated with Kurt.

He was the one to pull away first, pressing his forehead to Kurt's and letting out a broken sob. "You need to go…" Blaine whispered. Kurt sighed shakily and kissed Blaine's forehead.

"We need to call the police and get you to a hospital…" he whispered. Blaine's eyes shot open.

"No! No no no no-"

"Shh! Shh, B, shh… it's okay… please just… let me help you okay? I want to help you…"

Blaine looked up into Kurt's eyes. "Please… I don't want you to get hurt. You mean too much to me… you matter too much…" he whispered pleadingly.

"Blaine, _you_ matter. I don't want to lose you now that I have you back…"

"You won't. Please, just go…"

Kurt whimpered and pressed their lips together, this kiss a little rougher than the first, a little more desperate. "I love you…" he whispered against Blaine's lips, before quickly leaving the apartment. Blaine stared after him, reaching up to touch his lips, before closing the door and collapsing against it.

* * *

><p>Blaine had finally decided it was time to leave. He couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take the abuse, he couldn't take the fear. He just wanted out. So from the time that Kurt walked out of the apartment and Blaine was able to stand, he started packing, getting his things ready to leave. By the time Asher walked through the door, Blaine had two duffle bags packed and he was waiting by the door.<p>

Asher raised a brow at him, cocking his head to the side as he closed the door. Blaine jutted his chin out and crossed his arms over his chest. He needed to look strong, he needed to _be_ strong.

"Going somewhere?" Asher asked him.

Blaine took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. I am. And I'm not coming back."

Asher chuckled. Blaine furrowed his brows. Why was Asher laughing? What was funny about this? "Oh Blaine…. Blaine, Blaine, Blaine, Blaine, Blaine… " Asher walked up to Blaine and caressed his cheek gently. Blaine winced. "If you honestly think you are leaving, you're more stupid than I thought."

The slap came before Blaine could stop it. It was so hard and Blaine fell to the floor, whimpering and holding his face. Asher pulled him up by the collar of his shirt and slapped him again.

"Did you honestly believe you could survive out there without me, Blaine? Did you honestly think you could function out there without me? You can't, Blaine. You're pretty, but you're pathetic. You _need_ me."

Blaine started crying, whimpering, and pleading with Asher. He didn't want things to end this way. He was going to get out, he was going to escape, and now it was over. He would die here… and there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

Asher suddenly crushed their lips together, forcing his tongue into Blaine's mouth. Blaine whined, trying to push him away, but the damage was done. Asher pulled back and growled. "You've been kissing someone…" Blaine's eyes widened and he shook his head. That earned him another slap, as well as a shove to the ground. He landed hard, gasping in pain. "Don't you dare lie to me, Blaine Anderson."

His fight or flight instincts were kicking in now. Blaine started backing away from Asher, wanting to get away from his as quickly as possible, but he made the mistake of turning his back for just a moment, and Asher kicked him in the back. Blaine screamed out, collapsing face first onto the floor. Asher walked over and kicked him hard in the side. Blaine heard a cracking sound and groaned in pain. He could taste blood in his mouth and he spit some onto the floor.

But the kicks didn't stop there. Asher just kept kicking him, hitting him, so filled with anger that he didn't care about keeping Blaine alive anymore. That has always been at the back of his mind, but now it didn't even matter. And Blaine was in _agony_.

Everything hurt. His vision was blurred with tears. His mouth was filled with blood, he almost couldn't breathe. It needed to stop. Blaine couldn't go on like this. He needed to get Asher to stop.

So he went limp, closing his eyes. His breaths were short and labored, but that wasn't him putting on an act. He felt like he was about to die, so it wasn't difficult to make it seem like he was.

Asher's hits stopped. His kicks stopped. Blaine could hear him breathing heavily. He hoped his own breathing was shallow enough to ward off Asher from hurting him anymore. It seemed to work, since Asher made an indignant noise and stomped off towards the door, walking out and slamming the door shut behind him.

Once he was certain that Asher was gone, Blaine dragged himself over to his bags. Every movement hurt. His legs wouldn't work and they felt numb. His chest felt like it was literally collapsing in on itself.

Blaine reached his bags and shakily opened the pocket of the bigger one, pulling his phone out. He dropped it onto the floor and turned it on, scrolling through his messages until he found the one from Kurt he had never managed to delete. He called the number and put it on speaker.

Kurt picked up a couple rings later. "Hello? Blaine!"

Blaine coughed and let out a shaky breath as he wiped away the blood from his mouth. "H-Help…"

An intake of breath. "Blaine! Stay there, I'll be there soon, I promise. I'm going to help you, B. I'm on my way. Please just stay with me."

Tears came to his eyes as he listened to Kurt's voice. It would be okay. Kurt would come and even if Blaine died… at least he wouldn't be alone.

* * *

><p>Blaine had managed to choke out where exactly the extra key was hidden to Kurt, and when he heard the lock click, he wasn't afraid. Kurt came rushing in seconds later. He looked around, before looking down and gasping.<p>

"Blaine…" he sobbed, dropping to his knees. He reached forward, wanting to touch Blaine, but not sure how to touch him without hurting him. "I'm going to call for help, okay B? I have to…"

Blaine didn't argue as Kurt called 911 and begged an ambulance to arrive as quickly as possible. He couldn't even move to argue. When Kurt hung up the phone, he ran his hand over Blaine's cheek gently. Blaine looked up at him with exhausted eyes.

"I d-don't blame y-you for this… it was all m-my fault… I s-should've seen through him, I-I was just… so desperate to move on from y-you…" he whispered. Kurt shook his head, tears falling from his eyes.

"It's okay, B, I know…"

"I l-love you."

Kurt let out another broken sob. He laid down beside Blaine and kissed his lips softly, ignoring the taste of blood. "Don't say that right now. Don't say it yet. I want to hear it when you're better and when I can hold you in my arms, okay? I love you, Blaine. I've always loved you, but I don't want to hear you say that as a goodbye. This isn't goodbye, baby."

Blaine smiled softly. Well, he hoped he smiled. He honestly wasn't sure what his face looked like at the moment. All he knew was that Kurt was looking at him with more love than Blaine had had the pleasure of seeing in far too long.

"This m-must be what Heaven is like…" he whispered.

"What's that?" Kurt asked softly, caressing Blaine's cheekbone with his thumb.

"Heaven… it looks like you…"

Kurt whimpered and moved closer to Blaine, kissing his head and just holding him as best as he could until the ambulance arrived. Blaine was drifting in and out of consciousness as they loaded him onto the gurney and wheeled him out of the building. The EMTs were talking in low voices, but neither Blaine nor Kurt could be bothered to try and hear what they were saying. Blaine's only tether to anything was Kurt's hand in his, holding on as tightly as he dared to.

Kurt refused to let go of Blaine's hand.

* * *

><p>The light was blinding and hurt his eyes. Was this the light that everyone talked about? The light a person supposedly saw when they died?<p>

As Blaine slowly came to, he realized that his body felt far too heavy and far too damaged for this to be Heaven. He went to open his eyes, but only one would open. The other was swollen shut.

He looked around, his vision blurry, trying to make out his surroundings. He could feel tubes in his nose, an IV in his wrist, and there were so many loud machines around him, beeping.

But what was most prevalent was the pressure in his hand. Blaine looked over at his hand to see that another hand was holding it. His vision cleared up, and he followed up the arm, to the body attached. Kurt was sleeping in the chair beside his bed, hand clasped tightly in his own.

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand gently and watched as he stirred slowly, smiling when he saw that Blaine was awake. "It's about time…" Kurt whispered good-naturedly.

"How long have I been out?" Blaine asked. Kurt rubbed his eyes.

"A few days. They had to put you in a medically induced coma. Blaine… you had old injuries that never fully healed. You've… you've been in so much pain for so long, haven't you?" Blaine looked away. Kurt sighed. "I'm going to go tell a doctor you're awake."

Kurt reluctantly let go of Blaine's hand and padded out of the room. A few minutes later, he came back with a doctor, who went through Blaine's list of injuries: severe black eye, several head contusions, a broken arm, a broken wrist, two broken ribs as well as a fractured one, and both of his ankles were sprained. He was also covered in bruises, new and old, as well as many cuts and gashes (the worst being on his back). There was also damage left over from old injuries, most notably the fact that his rib had never set correctly. Aside from that, there was internal bleeding, as well as some scar tissue inside of Blaine's ass from being fucked so many times, most of the time with little prep. The doctors were also pretty concerned about Blaine's brain, which suffered a lot of trauma from all the hits he took to the head. They could schedule brain scans now that Blaine was awake.

Once the doctor left, Blaine looked down and started crying softly. Kurt took his hand. "It's going to be okay, Blaine…" he whispered. Blaine looked over at him.

"You don't need to be here anymore. You can go. I'm not going to die."

Kurt looked taken aback by Blaine's tone. Blaine just looked down again. "Blaine… I'm not leaving you…"

"I'm broken, Kurt. Why would you want me?"

Kurt cupped Blaine's chin and forced him to look up. "Blaine Anderson, I don't care how broken you are. I'm going to help you. I'm going to be here for you, as long as you want me. I am in love with you. I have been since we first met. Nothing is going to change that. I will always want me. Do you understand?"

Blaine bit his lip. "I love you, too…" he whispered. Kurt smiled and stood, kissing Blaine as gently as he could. Blaine sighed softly and kissed back. It felt good to be kissed like that… without expectations or fear. It was a kiss that made Blaine feel truly _loved_… something he hadn't felt in such a long time.

* * *

><p>It took a long time for Blaine to heal. The physical scars faded fairly quickly with the help of Kurt, but the emotional and mental ones weren't so easy. The brain scans would show that there was some brain damage. Nothing that couldn't be helped over time, but for the present… it impeded Blaine's speech, as well as his motor skills. The doctors were worried he wouldn't fully get back the use of his motor skills.<p>

Police had come by soon after Blaine woke up to take his statement. It was very obvious this was a case of domestic abuse. And after years of staying quiet, Blaine just couldn't. He'd given them the whole story.

Asher was arrested only a few hours later.

Once Blaine was released from the hospital, he went home with Kurt. He'd cowered away from Rachel at first, mainly because she'd tried to hug him and since he had to use crutches, it just hadn't worked out.

Still, Blaine had been given his own room, and that's where he spent most of his time. Kurt came in and laid with him a lot. They didn't kiss. They just talked. And cried. Blaine cried so much, because he could now. He told Kurt everything. He told him about the physical abuse, about how Asher raped him. Everything. And once it was all out, it was like Blaine was able to breathe again.

As Blaine started to get stronger, he started trying to do more things to help Kurt and Rachel. He'd wash dishes and cook, though sometimes his hands wouldn't work and he'd get frustrated, and it wouldn't be until Kurt came home and massaged his hands that Blaine would be able to relax.

Blaine also had trouble when it came to loud noises. Every time he heard a slammed door or a raised voice, Blaine was jump and shake and start crying, because he was so accustomed to expecting pain to follow. Kurt did everything to make Blaine comfortable.

It took a long time to make Blaine truly comfortable. Months, really. Blaine was physically healed, but definitely not emotional. He still barely talked to Rachel, but at least he was more vocal with Kurt. He didn't wait for Kurt to come to him, he went to Kurt. He'd also started sleeping in Kurt's bed, after he was plagued with nightmares, which had gotten worse after Blaine had received a letter about Asher's court dates, that he would need to testify at. The police had all the photographic evidence, but Blaine's testimony would be what would put Asher in jail.

* * *

><p>It was the night before the trial, and Blaine was so scared. He didn't want to see Asher again. Kurt would be with him, but he was still so terrified.<p>

Blaine was curled into Kurt's side, shaking and clenching his fists (something he'd gotten into the habit of doing so that his fingers wouldn't lock up). Kurt was rubbing his back and stroking his fingers through Blaine's curls soothingly, trying to calm him down so that Blaine wouldn't have a panic attack (another thing that he had been experiencing a lot lately).

"I don't want to see him, Kurt. All he'll have to do is look at me and I won't be able to speak," Blaine whispered shakily, gripping Kurt's shirt.

"He can't control you anymore, B. And I'll be there. Just don't look at him. Only look at me. If you look at me, you can pretend it's just you and me talking… and once you explain all the things he's done to you, he'll go to jail, and you'll never have to worry about him again. Everything will be okay, I promise," Kurt whispered back, pressing his lips to Blaine's hair. Blaine looked up at him, staring into Kurt's eyes, before pulling Kurt into a soft kiss. They hadn't kissed since the night in the hospital, and this one made his heart flutter just as much as the first had.

"Kurt… Can I… Can we…"

"What is it, baby?"

Blaine took a deep breath. "Could we just… be together tonight? I haven't… I haven't really made love since you… I don't count any of those early times with Asher, because he was just setting me up for pain. I only count you."

Kurt stared up at him. "You want to make love?" Blaine nodded. "We can do that, B. Of course we can. But it has to be what you really want? Are you… are you sure that you're ready?"

Blaine smiled softly. "My body is healed. Physically I think I could do it. And emotionally… I need you, Kurt. I need to feel like I'm actually loved."

Kurt leaned in and kissed Blaine softly. "I'll do that, B. I just needed to make sure it's what you want. And if at any time you want to back out, just tell me. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to."

Blaine pressed his forehead to Kurt's. "I know. You're not Asher."

Clothes were shed from there. Blaine asked Kurt if he could top because the whole time he'd been with Asher, he'd never once topped. Kurt, of course, didn't mind at all. He wanted Blaine as comfortable as possible, and when they were together, they never had an exclusive top or bottom.

They took their time with prep, most of it spent sharing soft kisses and Kurt whispering words of adoration. When Blaine finally pushed into Kurt, both of them were already so close to the edge. He pushed in slowly until he was completely inside of Kurt, letting out a shaky breath, because this was what sex was supposed to feel like. It was supposed to feel good.

They rocked together for what seemed like hours, but was actually only minutes. It started slow, but quickly got passionate, almost desperate, both men clutching onto the other like a lifeline. They needed this. They needed it more than they even knew.

When one came, the other followed quickly, both of them letting their orgasms take over. They came down at the same time, panting heavily and curling into one another.

Blaine couldn't remember feeling so satisfied in his entire life. He couldn't remember feeling so… whole and loved and cared for. But that's what Kurt did. He made Blaine feel completely and totally loved. That's all he had ever needed. That's all he had ever wanted.

They fell asleep in each other's arms, neither one of them having nightmares for the first time in such a long time.

* * *

><p>Blaine went into the trial feeling a lot stronger than he had expected to. He was ready for this. He was ready to get the justice he so rightly deserved. And with Kurt at his side, he knew he would.<p>

When it was time for his testimony, Blaine spared a glance at Asher. The look that was being directed at him scared him a little, but it also made him that much more determined to win this.

He gave an incredibly detailed account of his time with Asher, from the beginning up until the horrifying ending. When Blaine met Kurt's eyes, he saw that he was crying. In fact many people were crying. Blaine didn't cry though. He didn't feel like crying anymore. He had cried far too much over that monster.

With Blaine's testimony, as well as doctor reports and photographs to back up his statements, there was no way Asher could get away with it. And he didn't. The jury found him guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to twenty-five years to life in prison, with no possibility for parole anytime soon.

Sure, it wasn't the sentencing that Blaine had wanted, but it was good enough. Asher was going to jail, and Blaine was away from, _free_ from him.

The minute court was adjourned, Kurt was hugging Blaine tightly, crying into his shoulder, but these were happy tears. "Blaine, you did it!" he cheered.

Blaine smiled and wiped Kurt's tears away. "I know… I couldn't have done it without you…" he whispered. Kurt blushed.

"So… what now?" he asked.

Blaine thought about Kurt's question for a moment. There were so many options now. There were so many things he realized he missed and wanted to do. He smiled. "I want to go back to school, definitely. Finish grad school… And I want to get back to performing… but most importantly…"

"Yes?"

Blaine looked into Kurt's eyes. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Kurt laughed softly, his eyes filling with tears again, and Blaine leaned in, kissing Kurt passionately, not caring who saw. It didn't matter anymore, because for the first time in a long time, Blaine felt hope. He felt like he could manage getting up and finally doing something, because he didn't have anything to be afraid of.

Blaine was alive. Blaine had survived, despite the hopelessness and the desire to just give in. He was alive, he had Kurt, and he just knew that things were going to finally get better.

**The end.**

* * *

><p><em>UGH. This was so heartbreaking to write, but I couldn't not give it a happy ending. I tried the whole heartbreaking story with a heartbreaking ending before and I didn't enjoy it at all. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this, I know it's long and probably not very easy to read at points, but… it was just something I needed to get out. I would like to know what your thoughts on it are though, so please review! Thank you.<em>


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